Title: Learning through telemedicine: case study of a wound care network

Authors: Liqiong Deng, Marshall Scott Poole, Houghton G. Brown, Cynthia Scheideman-Miller

Addresses: Department of Information and Operations Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77840, USA. ' Department of Information and Operations Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77840, USA. ' Department of Information and Operations Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77840, USA. ' INTEGRIS Rural Telemedicine Project, Oklahoma City, OK, USA

Abstract: This study explores the potential of telemedicine networks to support collaboration and learning among healthcare personnel. We employ a case study methodology to investigate learning processes and their consequences for healthcare delivery within a telemedicine-enabled wound care network in a US Midwestern state. Based on interviews and other data, we build a grounded theory of the factors and processes influencing learning that occur within telemedicine networks. The theory is focused on how effective learning can be fostered in a telemedicine network and how it contributes to quality healthcare. The case study indicates that learning is in some respects more effective in the telemedicine setting than it would be in face-to-face care giving and gives some indications as to why this might be so.

Keywords: healthcare quality; interaction; learning communities; healthcare learning; wound care network; telemedicine networks; learning process; healthcare delivery.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHTM.2005.007005

International Journal of Healthcare Technology and Management, 2005 Vol.6 No.4/5/6, pp.368 - 380

Published online: 02 May 2005 *

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